SUFISM Emerald Hills of the Heart
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School of Humanities and Social Sciences Al-Ghazali's Integral
School of Humanities and Social Sciences Al-Ghazali’s Integral Epistemology: A Critical Analysis of The Jewels of the Quran A Thesis Submitted to The Department of Arab and Islamic Civilization in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts by Amani Elshimi 000-88-0001 under the supervision of Dr. Mohamed Serag Professor of Islamic Studies Thesis readers: Dr. Steffen Stelzer Professor of Philosophy, The American University in Cairo Dr. Aliaa Rafea Professor of Sociology, Ain Shams University; Founder of The Human Foundation NGO May 2017 Acknowledgements First and foremost, Alhamdulillah - my gratitude to God for the knowledge, love, light and faith. My deepest thanks go to my supervisor and readers, whose individual passions and critical guidance helped shape my research perspective, sustain my sanity and boost my confidence - Dr. Mohamed Serag, who first initiated me into the scholarship of al- Ghazali and engaged me in eye-opening theological debates, Dr. Steffen Stelzer, whose academic expertise and personal sufi practice inspired my curiosity and touched me in deep spiritual ways, and Dr. Aliaa Rafea, who, through her lectures and practices, emphasized how the depths of meaning in the Quran can contribute to human development in contemporary times. Throughout this adventure, my colleagues and friends have been equally supportive - Soha Helwa and Wafaa Wali, in particular, have joined me in bouncing ideas back and forth to refine perspective and sustain rigor. Sincere appreciation and love goes to my family - my dear husband and children, whose unswerving support all these years has helped me grow in ways I yearned for, and never dreamed possible; and my siblings who constantly engaged me in discussion and critical analysis. -
Understanding the Concept of Islamic Sufism
Journal of Education & Social Policy Vol. 1 No. 1; June 2014 Understanding the Concept of Islamic Sufism Shahida Bilqies Research Scholar, Shah-i-Hamadan Institute of Islamic Studies University of Kashmir, Srinagar-190006 Jammu and Kashmir, India. Sufism, being the marrow of the bone or the inner dimension of the Islamic revelation, is the means par excellence whereby Tawhid is achieved. All Muslims believe in Unity as expressed in the most Universal sense possible by the Shahadah, la ilaha ill’Allah. The Sufi has realized the mysteries of Tawhid, who knows what this assertion means. It is only he who sees God everywhere.1 Sufism can also be explained from the perspective of the three basic religious attitudes mentioned in the Qur’an. These are the attitudes of Islam, Iman and Ihsan.There is a Hadith of the Prophet (saw) which describes the three attitudes separately as components of Din (religion), while several other traditions in the Kitab-ul-Iman of Sahih Bukhari discuss Islam and Iman as distinct attitudes varying in religious significance. These are also mentioned as having various degrees of intensity and varieties in themselves. The attitude of Islam, which has given its name to the Islamic religion, means Submission to the Will of Allah. This is the minimum qualification for being a Muslim. Technically, it implies an acceptance, even if only formal, of the teachings contained in the Qur’an and the Traditions of the Prophet (saw). Iman is a more advanced stage in the field of religion than Islam. It designates a further penetration into the heart of religion and a firm faith in its teachings. -
Islamic Liberation Theology Reading List
ISLAMIC LIBERATION THEOLOGY READING LIST Note: In the spirit of robust inquiry and discussion, we chose to present authors from a wide range of intellectual and political commitments, some of whose writings conflict with others, and some we may not even agree with ourselves. This list is not an endorsement of all the texts, authors, and their views, but rather a starting point for critically exploring the place of Islam in liberation, justice, solidarity, and the long work ahead to transform our communities. GENDER, SEXUALITY, AND FEMINISM Sexual Ethics and Islam: Feminist Reflections on Qur'an, Hadith, and Jurisprudence by Kecia Ali Before Homosexuality in the Arab-Islamic World, 1500-1800 by Khaled El- Rouayheb American Muslim Women, Religious Authority, and Activism: More Than a Prayer by Juliane Hammer Women of the Nation: Between Black Protest and Sunni Islam by Dawn-Marie Gibson and Jamillah Karim Homosexuality in Islam: Critical Reflection on Gay, Lesbian and Transgender Muslims by Scott Kugle Politics of Piety: The Islamic Revival and the Feminist Subject by Saba Mahmood Being Muslim: A Cultural History of Women of Color in American Islam by Sylvia Chan-Malik The Veil And The Male Elite: A Feminist Interpretation Of Women's Rights In Islam by Fatima Mernissi The Imperial Harem: Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire by Leslie P. Peirce Sufi Narratives of Intimacy: Ibn Arabi, Gender and Sexuality by Sa'diyya Shaikh Inside the Gender Jihad: Women's Reform in Islam by Amina Wadud LAW AND THEOLOGY Islamic Family Law in a Changing World: A Global Resource Book by Abdullahi A. -
From Gastarbeiter to Muslim: Cosmopolitan
FROM GASTARBEITER TO MUSLIM: COSMOPOLITAN LITERARY RESPONSES TO POST-9/11 ISLAMOPHOBIA A thesis submitted to the University of Manchester for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Humanities 2015 JOSEPH TWIST SCHOOL OF ARTS, LANGUAGES AND CULTURES Contents List of Abbreviations ............................................................................................................... 4 List of Figures ........................................................................................................................... 4 Abstract ..................................................................................................................................... 5 Declaration................................................................................................................................ 6 Copyright Statement ................................................................................................................ 6 Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................. 7 Introduction: Thinking ‘We’ in Contemporary German Literature Islamophobia and the German Literary Landscape ................................................................... 8 ‘Being-with’: Contemporary Cosmopolitan Theory and the Philosophy of Jean-Luc Nancy. 26 Beyond Monotheism: A Cosmopolitan Understanding of the Divine ..................................... 46 Sufism and Singularity: The Deconstruction of Islam ............................................................ -
Al-Ghazali's Integral Epistemology: a Critical Analysis of the Jewels of the Quran
American University in Cairo AUC Knowledge Fountain Theses and Dissertations 6-1-2017 Al-Ghazali's integral epistemology: A critical analysis of the jewels of the Quran Amani Mohamed Elshimi Follow this and additional works at: https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds Recommended Citation APA Citation Elshimi, A. (2017).Al-Ghazali's integral epistemology: A critical analysis of the jewels of the Quran [Master’s thesis, the American University in Cairo]. AUC Knowledge Fountain. https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/618 MLA Citation Elshimi, Amani Mohamed. Al-Ghazali's integral epistemology: A critical analysis of the jewels of the Quran. 2017. American University in Cairo, Master's thesis. AUC Knowledge Fountain. https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/618 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by AUC Knowledge Fountain. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of AUC Knowledge Fountain. For more information, please contact [email protected]. School of Humanities and Social Sciences Al-Ghazali’s Integral Epistemology: A Critical Analysis of The Jewels of the Quran A Thesis Submitted to The Department of Arab and Islamic Civilization in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts by Amani Elshimi 000-88-0001 under the supervision of Dr. Mohamed Serag Professor of Islamic Studies Thesis readers: Dr. Steffen Stelzer Professor of Philosophy, The American University in Cairo Dr. Aliaa Rafea Professor of Sociology, Ain Shams University; Founder of The Human Foundation NGO May 2017 Acknowledgements First and foremost, Alhamdulillah - my gratitude to God for the knowledge, love, light and faith. -
The Arsenite Schism and the Babai Rebellion: Two Case Studies
THE ARSENITE SCHISM AND THE BABAI REBELLION: TWO CASE STUDIES IN CENTER-PERIPHERY RELATIONS by Hüsamettin ŞİMŞİR Submitted to the Institute of Social Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History Sabancı University June 2018 © Hüsamettin Şimşir 2018 All Rights Reserved ABSTRACT THE ARSENITE SCHISM AND THE BABAI REBELLION: TWO CASE STUDIES IN CENTER-PERIPHERY RELATIONS Hüsamettin Şimşir M.A Thesis, June 2018 Thesis Supervisor: Dr. Fac. Member Ferenc Péter Csirkés This thesis aims to present an analysis of the interaction between Christians and Muslims in the west of Asia Minor at the end of the 13th and the beginning of the 14th centuries after two religious-social movements in the Byzantine and the Rum Seljuk Empires, the Arsenite Schism and the Babai Rebellion. After the unsuccessful rebellion of the Babais, antinomian dervishes who had migrated to the west of Asia Minor because of a heavy oppression as well as inquisition by the state and had a different religious belief apart from the mainstream religious understanding of the center initiated missionary activities in the regions along the Byzantine border. Accordingly, these dervishes had joined the military activities of the Turcoman chieftains against the Byzantines and interacted with the local Christian population and religious figures. As a result of this religious interaction, messianic and ascetic beliefs were increasingly present among the Greek-speaking population as well as spiritual leaders of western Anatolia. Since such interfaith and cross- cultural interaction had a considerable impact on the course of all these events, this thesis focuses on them to create a better understanding of the appearance of the Hesychasm in the Byzantine spiritual environment in the later period. -
Phd 15.04.27 Versie 3
Promotor Prof. dr. Jan Dumolyn Vakgroep Geschiedenis Decaan Prof. dr. Marc Boone Rector Prof. dr. Anne De Paepe Nederlandse vertaling: Een Spiegel voor de Sultan. Staatsideologie in de Vroeg Osmaanse Kronieken, 1300-1453 Kaftinformatie: Miniature of Sultan Orhan Gazi in conversation with the scholar Molla Alâeddin. In: the Şakayıku’n-Nu’mâniyye, by Taşköprülüzâde. Source: Topkapı Palace Museum, H1263, folio 12b. Faculteit Letteren & Wijsbegeerte Hilmi Kaçar A Mirror for the Sultan State Ideology in the Early Ottoman Chronicles, 1300- 1453 Proefschrift voorgelegd tot het behalen van de graad van Doctor in de Geschiedenis 2015 Acknowledgements This PhD thesis is a dream come true for me. Ottoman history is not only the field of my research. It became a passion. I am indebted to Prof. Dr. Jan Dumolyn, my supervisor, who has given me the opportunity to take on this extremely interesting journey. And not only that. He has also given me moral support and methodological guidance throughout the whole process. The frequent meetings to discuss the thesis were at times somewhat like a wrestling match, but they have always been inspiring and stimulating. I also want to thank Prof. Dr. Suraiya Faroqhi and Prof. Dr. Jo Vansteenbergen, for their expert suggestions. My colleagues of the History Department have also been supportive by letting me share my ideas in development during research meetings at the department, lunches and visits to the pub. I would also like to sincerely thank the scholars who shared their ideas and expertise with me: Dimitris Kastritsis, Feridun Emecen, David Wrisley, Güneş Işıksel, Deborah Boucayannis, Kadir Dede, Kristof d’Hulster, Xavier Baecke and many others. -
ANG TARIQA AY NAGTUTURO NG MAGANDANG ASAL Assalamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh
ANG TARIQA AY NAGTUTURO NG MAGANDANG ASAL Assalamu Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. Authu Billahi Minash-shaytanir Rajeem, Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem. Madad Ya Rasulallah, Madad Ya As’habi Rasulallah, Madad Ya Mashayikhina, Shaykh Abdullah Daghestani, Shaykh Nazim al-Haqqani. Dastur. Abu Ayyub al-Ansari. Madad. Tariqatunas sohba, wal khayru fil jam’iyya. Ang pagiging marespeto sa awliya, sa mga Ulama at sa mga magulang ang tinuturo sa Tariqa. “At-Tariqatu kulluha adab.”Ang tariqa ay binubuo ng magandang asal.Walang magandang asal kung walang tariqa. Karamihan sa mga muslim ngayon ay wala ng magandang asal. Maganda ang pagiging masunurin at magandang asal sa mga mgaulang pero ngayon wala ng kagandahang asal dahil di na sila sumusunod sa tariqa.Ang tariqa ay nagututuro ng kagandahang asal. Dito sa Anatoia, ang mga tariqa ay pinagbawala. Nung mawala ang Ottomans napuno na ng demonyo ang lugar na ito. Ang Tariqa ay pinagbawal din sa ilang muslim na bansa. Mayroon din na ibang bansa ang masama ang tingin sa tariqa. Sabi nila kapag nagpakita ka ng magandang asal at respeto ay masama ka daw. Ganito ang pagkagalit nila sa Tariqa. Sinusundan nila ang shaytan. Akala nila na dasal at pag-ayuno lang ang kailangan sa Islam. Mahalaga ang matutuo ng kagandahan asal. Tinuruan ng magandang asal ang Banal Propeta Muhammad alayhis salatu was salam at kanya naman ito naituro sa mga Sahaba. Ang mga Sahaba naman ang nagturo sa mga Ulama at Awliya. Ito ang daan niya. May mga zawiyas na ipinasara na dahil nawala na ang mga Shaykhs at Ulama. Ang mga natira na lang ay mga masasamang loob.May ilan din ang mga sumusunod sa kanila at nadadala sa kasamaan. -
The Mughal Emperor As Solomon, Majnun, and Orpheus 277
the mughal emperor as solomon, majnun, and orpheus 277 EBBA KOCH THE MUGHAL EMPEROR AS SOLOMON, MAJNUN, AND ORPHEUS, OR THE ALBUM AS A THINK TANK FOR ALLEGORY By the early seventeenth century, symbolic repre- While the concept of Mughal symbolic representa- sentation and allegory had emerged as a new genre in tion and, to a certain extent, its composition and style imperial Mughal painting. The themes were guided are indebted to European works, its iconography and by imperial interest and the main agenda was to give iconology were fed by sources of an astonishing hetero- abstract concepts or performed gestures of ideal king- geneity. The Mughal emperors and their theorists ship a pictorial expression. Mughal symbolic represen- (mardum-i ā ib-i vuqūf, men of superior knowledge, tation was inspired by Europe, as we learn from Abu ’l as Jahangir [r. 1605–27] calls them in one of the rare Fazl (d. 1602), the chief historian of Emperor Akbar instances where their input is acknowledged2) had not (r. 1556–1605) and, as Richard Eaton has famously the slightest problem with selectively taking from Cen- termed him, his chief ideologue. In his Āʾīn-i Akbarī tral Asian, Indian, Persian, ancient Near Eastern, and (Institutes of Akbar), written in the 1590s, Abu ’l Fazl European ideas whatever served their purpose. On the presents us with an intriguing argument, in which he contrary, the Mughals drew inspiration from the diver- weighs the value of writing against that of painting. sity of their sources in order to develop a symbolic and He begins in almost postmodern philosophical terms, allegorical “multilingualism” as a means to address the anticipating Saussure’s notions of “sign,” “signifier,” widest possible audience in a cosmopolitan discourse and “signified,” and continues on a neo-Platonic, post- in its own terms and, as a consequence, to legitimate Tri dentine note when he states that painting may themselves in the widest possible context as ideal and become a means to recognize a higher truth, especially universal kings. -
Islam and the Mughals Chapter One
PART ONE FOUNDATIONS: ISLAM AND THE MUGHALS CHAPTER ONE THE CATEGORIES OF DOCTRINAL ISLAM In 1095, aft er four years as an instructor at the prestigious Madrasa al- Nizamiyya in Baghdad, jurist and theologian Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Ghazali (d. 1111) resigned for personal reasons. In his Munqidh min al-Dalal, written aft er years of study that carried him from Baghdad to Damascus, Jerusalem, Hebron, Medina and Mecca, before returning him to his hometown of Tus (Iran), al-Ghazali wrote of the disillusionment with scholastic learning that drove him to seek an alternative approach to ‘Truth’.1 Th e most striking feature of his intellectual journey is that his abandonment of the Baghdad madrasa did not mean a turn away from doctrinal Islam, even in its legal form. Rather, he encountered and listed four ‘Classes of [Muslim] Seekers’ on his search, one to which he belonged while a madrasa instructor, two that he studied and rejected during his travels, and a last in which he found reason to end his search. In order, these are: (1) the mutakallimun—‘exponents of thought and intellectual speculation’; (2) the falasifa—‘exponents of logic and demonstration’; (3) the batiniyya—who ‘derive truth from an infallible imam [leader]’; and, (4) the sufi yya—who ‘possess vision and intuitive understanding’.2 It may seem inappropriate to begin a work on Islam in the transition from Mughal to post-colonial South Asia with the biography of an 11th century author whose travels never touched the region. Yet, al-Ghazali’s works, which are still widely read across the Muslim World, best illus- trate the limitations of any formula that reduces doctrinal Islam to a ‘formalism’ that is legalistic and judged locally intrusive, while sidelining all other disciplines as ‘informal’, hence, customarily accommodative. -
Unraveling the Mystery of the Hidden Treasure
Unraveling the Mystery of The Hidden Treasure : The Origin and Development of a îad¥th Quds¥ and its Application in S´f¥ Doctrine By Moeen Afnani A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Near Eastern Studies in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Hamid Algar, Chair Dr. John Hayes Professor Munis Faruqui Spring 2011 Abstract Unraveling the Mystery of The Hidden Treasure : The Origin and Development of a îad¥th Quds¥ and its Application in S´f¥ Doctrine by Moeen Afnani Doctor of Philosophy in Near Eastern Studies University of California, Berkeley Professor Hamid Algar, Chair The tradition of the Hidden Treasure is the most widely used úad¥th in the field of speculative mysticism. It states: “I was a Hidden Treasure; I loved to be known, so I created the creation in order to be known.” From the 5th /12 th century onward this tradition has occurred in major ê´f¥ texts, and the great ê´f¥ masters like Ibn al-ÔArab¥ and R´m¥ have made abundant use of it to build their mystical philosophy. Although it is very brief, this tradition refers to such themes as wuj´d (being), God as the Absolute Being, names and attributes of God, the self-disclosure of God, love as the motive for creation, the concept and process of creation, and the concept of knowledge. These themes are among the most fundamental concepts in speculative mysticism. Aside from ê´f¥s, Islamic philosophers and theologians also have mentioned this tradition in their writings. -
Source: Kritovoulos, History of Mehmed the Conqueror, Trans
Source: Kritovoulos, History of Mehmed the Conqueror, trans. Charles T. Riggs (Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ. Press, 1954), pp. 60-75 [excerpts] About the Document The Greek historian Kritovoulos was not present at the final siege of Constantinople in 1453. He entered the service of the Turkish sultan Mehmed the Conqueror shortly thereafter. The sultan appointed him governor of the island of Imbros. Kritovoulos' clearly set forth his sense of his own cultural status in his introductory note to the sultan, in which he declared that, to be properly preserved for posterity, the sultan's tale had to be recorded in Greek. His account of the city's fall reflects his contradictory feelings about the event, in that he openly admired the sultan's military ability (which he called "in no way inferior to those of Alexander the Macedonian"), while lamenting the final disappearance of the Byzantine Empire. This document relates the events of the fall of Constantinople, from Mehmed's speech to his troops on the eve of battle to the death of the Emperor Constantine and the sack of the city. Kritovoulos recognized that readers would question the accuracy of his account. He stressed: "I have already labored hard, for I was not a witness of the events, to know the exact truth about these things. In writing the history, I have at the same time inquired of those who knew, and have examined carefully into how it all happened." +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Second Address of the Sultan, calling upon all to fight bravely, and promising them that they would be rewarded with goods and many other fine things, if they fought well.